Dusk
by Eclipse.of.the.Heart1
Summary: People are strange, particularly the new Santa Carla resident. Popular, well liked, and secretive Eliana has captured the attention of David. But a relationship is never easy when both people are hiding something. David X OC. No Star/Laddie/Michael
1. Chapter 1

David sauntered toward were they had hidden their bikes, casting a look back toward the abandoned parking lot. Even in the non-existent light the four brothers found their bikes where they had stashed them. It didn't really matter if anyone else found them; no one would be stupid enough to touch them. Every local knew them, the brothers. Perhaps not their names, but definitely their faces, they heard rumors and stories. In reality, they had never been arrested and aside from the occasional fight they didn't cause much trouble, at least none that anyone knew about, but despite their stupidity and weakness humans could tell there was something wrong with those four, even if they couldn't put a name to it. For some this feeling resulted in a suspicion or fear that encouraged them to give the four boys a wide berth, others it attracted like moths to a flame, attracted them to their deaths.

Paul and Dawyne hooted happily into the night air, their kill still fresh in their minds, while Marko floated behind them, an impish grin on his face. David could still taste the blood of the cop on his lips; personal kills had always been more satisfying than nourishment killings. The feel of holding the life of your enemy in your hand and watching their eyes die as you snuffed it out was a thrill that always delivered. Pulling their bikes from the abandoned shop, David was about to leave when Marko stopped him.

"Hey David, what's that?" Pinned to the spoke of his front wheel was a manila folder. David pulled the folder off a tossed it casually to the ground, Paul, however, retrieved it.

"Nice eyes," he read.

"What?" Marko asked, leaning over his shoulder for a closer look. David cast them an irritated glance but they were too involved in the contents of the folder to notice.

"Damn, this is good" Paul offered the folder to David, "Take a look." David let out a sigh and took the folder, flipping it open. a white sheet of paper greeted him. It read 'nice eyes' across the back with his name, the date, 6/15/1987, and a signature in the right hand corner. David turned the paper over. It was a drawing, an intricate drawing. Of him. It was perfect rendering of David leaning forward, clutching something in the foreground of the picture, his eyes gleaming. The brightness and detail of the background peaked a memory in his mind; this was from today, only a few hours ago, when he was on the carousel gripping the face of Ian, the Surf Nazi.

"Wonder who drew it," Paul said, now looking over David's shoulder along with the others. The details were perfect from the painting on carousel walls to the hairs of David's beard. David turned the picture back over looking at the signature on the back carefully. Marko looked like he was about to say something but choose not to when David slipped the drawing in the jacket and hopped on his bike. The others joined him without protested and raced back to their nest.

David zipped his jacket up, preventing the drawing from slipping out during the high speed race. He been alive a long time, he had had plenty of people draw him before, some with her permission, some without. But this one was different, others drawings had looked exactly like him every detail correct, but they weren't him. This one, this one felt like him, and he didn't know why. Not knowing, that had always bothered David. They pulled up to the cave, storing their bikes in the surface cave near the top of the cliffs. The steps running down into the cavern were needless, a luxury for any human guests they might entertain; instead, the four boys stepped off the cliff, plummeting straight down toward the rocks below, slowing themselves into graceful landings at the last second and stepping through the ocean level entrance.

Marko flew quickly into the ruined lobby, the quickest of them all, and immediately tended to the pigeons he had begun to keep. Paul grabbed the boom box and turned it on; the familiar sounds of Pink Floyd echoed through the room a he took a seat in a lounge chair, Dwayne lying on the couch besides it. David reclined in his wheelchair and pulled the drawing out of his jacket. He held it up to the flickering light the fires through the room provided. The lighting here was for shit but it was better than outside. He starred at it, his face blank to his brothers around him.

"Nice eyes," David murmured under his breath as he kept looking back at the predatory eyes of the drawing. Is this what he looked like when he was contemplating all the ways to kill someone?

"What's the big deal, it's a drawing" Paul said, his foot tapping the beat of the music in the background.

"It's the eyes," Marko said and he floated over, his movements resembling a gazelle, a stark contrast to the wolf like movements of his brothers.

"What?"

"I've seen drawings of us before, a girl on the boardwalk did one. She didn't get the eyes right though, they never do. These eyes, though, they're perfect" Marko said with a shrug as though it was obvious, plopping down on the couch and forcing Dwayne to move his legs. David hummed in response, his way of confirming what Marko had said. Marko, like usual had managed to put words to his thoughts. The eyes in this drawing were nothing up lead on paper but somehow the person who drew it had managed to capture something, something people normally over looked.

"The eyes of a killer" he mused, setting the picture on a table nearby, acting as though he was done with it. His brothers, however, didn't fail to notice his eyes trailing back over it periodically throughout the rest of the night. None of them voiced their curiosity, but they knew it was there. The fleeting thought, the wondering, who had seen through their ruse. Who knew what they were.

The next night, when darkness had fallen over Santa Carla, David folded the pencil drawing and slipped it into a pocket in his jacket.

"I think we need to find ourselves an artist, boys." None of them responded this statement; they just grinned and went to get their bikes. As David slid onto his bike and took off, he didn't join the others in their hollering, instead he focused on the bright lights of the boardwalk in the distance.

Upon their arrival at the boardwalk, Paul and Marko deemed it necessary to make bets over who would find the artist first. Eventually Dawyne was pulled into the game as well, betting useless things, various knickknacks and items they horded in their various coves of the nest. To say the nest was shared would be a complete falsehood, sure they all slept in the same area but each boy had his own area filled with various things they had gathered over their years, including David. Marko had his pigeons, posters of Prince and Madonna, an old jacket from his first kill, other such things. Dawyne had his guitar, Paul his boom box. Sometimes they invaded each other's space taking clothes or other things of interest, but never David's. David's things were never touched.

Bets made, Paul, Marko, and Dawyne scattered. In any other case David would be content to simply linger in one place or another waiting for them to return, his years at the boardwalk had taken some of the rush out of doing human things. The only true fun he had now was the hunt, the kill, the feed. Women, concerts, bikes had been fun in the beginning but now it felt like an endless cycle, constantly repeating itself. It was always the same people. The people in Santa Carla were always one of three things; afraid of them like one would be of a monster, obsessed with them, treating them like some fierce old god that was meant to be fear and respected, or they wanted to take care of them, nurse the innocent, broken heart they _knew_ had to in there. David was never sure which one he preferred; perhaps he preferred none of them.

Max told him it was to be expected, this was common. He suggested David leave, see the world, and get away from this place. But David couldn't, he used his brothers as an excuse, they couldn't survive without him. Without his guidance they'd get themselves killed. But in reality both he and Max knew, David had never left California, not in all his hundred years. Max had found him in Santa Carla and in Santa Carla he stayed. Here he ruled, here he was king. In Santa Carla people knew his name. Out there compared to the rest of the world he was strong, yes, but a small part of David's human self had never died, and that small fleeting pert of him told him in the grand scheme of things, he didn't matter much. So David stayed exactly where he was, playing the part he had always played and he enjoyed it, enjoyed it more then he could ever really say, because here his opinion, his actions, his thoughts, made all the difference.

But at this moment of his life a game had begun. It had been a long time since someone had shown true interest in them. David wanted to see the fear in their eyes; he wanted to watch them squirm under his gaze. He wanted to play on their fascination. So he ghosted over the boardwalk, locals moved aside for him, glancing anywhere but his face. Tourists look at him and saw a punk, but even with them he registered on a deeper level, something inside told them to run, so they moved as well. There were some that didn't notice him until he had already passed, and a real wave of terror washed over them, they would look about trying the find the source of the hair raising feeling but they would never pick him out of a crowd. David smiled, even in his black attire and spiked hair he blended so well.

David noticed a young girl tending to a stand, she was selling airbrushed t-shirts. She was obviously a local and of what he knew of the high school crowd, well liked. He pulled the drawing out of his jacket and walked over.

"Excuse, miss, you wouldn't happen to recognize this signature would you?" he asked, leaning to the side of her. A flash of fear ran through her eyes and David smiled a sweet half smile, pulling out the charm he usually saved for luring in his next meal. She smiled hesitantly back a small flush washing across her cheeks. She kept looking at everything around her, nervousness having replaced the fear. David held the drawing up higher, catching her attention. He still had it folded, only the signature showing, something within him didn't want to girl seeing the drawing. It was his. She studied the signature before recognition flashed through her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. I do, um I've seen that signature in Ray's on the corner. He sells photos, postcards, drawings, that sort of things. I could-" David cut her off by walking away , toward the store. When he got there Marko was already inside, chatting up a young girl behind the counter an excited grin on his face. Dawyne and Paul were leaning outside on the wall.

"He got here first," Paul mumbled darkly, obviously bitter at his defeat. Marko waved to the girl as he walked back out. "Is that her?"

"Nope" he said with a smile and walked forward.

"Great" Dwayne replied.

"It wasn't her but she told me who the artist was." Marko had their attention and they followed him as he skipped toward the pier. "She's a local, lives up by James Cove. Apparently Ray bought some of her drawings and paintings a while back, you know drawings of the pier or the boardwalk, stuff that he can market to the tourists."

"How is supposed to help us find her?" Paul asked as he leaned besides Marko, who had stopped at the middle of the pier and was leaning against the rail watching tourists and locals move around the area the blare of rides ringing through the air.

"Well, Lucy said her name of Eliana and that she owns a nearby store"

"What store?" Paul. Marko nodded toward the store fronts.

"The music store on the left, Platinum" Marko replied. David looked through the crowds of people toward a two story building on the left. People were walking in and out. David knew the store; it had opened a few weeks ago and was already fairly popular, although he had never gone in before. He saw a costumer come out of the store holding a plastic bag with the store logo across the front. It was scrawny teen, messy hair and a dirty shirt. David caught his attention.

"The girl who owns that store, is she in there?" The boy flinched under David's gaze and nodded, pointing toward the store.

"That's her out front by the old records," he mumbled under his breath. David looked over as the boy scurried away. She was leaning over a stand full of old records that was sitting outside of the store, flicking through them. David watched her as someone came out of the store to talk to her. Her acid wash jeans were skin tight and ripped in strips from her shins to her thighs. Her black Chuck Taylor's matched her tight 'master of puppets' Metallica t-shirt. Unlike most of the other girls around she wasn't wearing any jewelry except a watch made from a wide band of black leather on her left wrist. David would have classified her with the punks if it wasn't for the members only jacket she had on and her hair. It wasn't fluffy and overly primped like most of the prep girls or spiked and dyed like the other girls; it was long and smooth, to end of her shoulder blades and formed perfect brown curls. She had braided three braids into the front which were pinned over her right ear, pulling her hair into a side part that reminded him a style a gypsy would wear.

She had told the costumer whatever they wanted to know and as he returned to the store, she looked up and saw him. Her eyes caught his and held his gaze. David waited, expecting her to look away. They always looked away. No one could stand to look him in the eye for long, any second now she would blush and turn away. Perhaps it would be his looks or maybe it would be some deep feeling inside that told her he wasn't right. Whatever it was, she would look away, David was sure of that.

Moments passed, and the David felt time begin to slowly tick by, second by second and she never looked away. Her eyes for huge and blue green, a single horizontal scar ran under her left eye but the intensity of her eyes made it practically unnoticeable. It felt like she was looking into him. It wasn't right; he was the one who was supposed to be able to see into people. David felt the urge to look somewhere else well up inside him but he buried it, he would not be the one to look away. As the length of the gaze really began to build up she smiled, but it wasn't a shy smile like David expected. No she smiled a wicked smile, a knowing smile, like she was laughing at some inside joke. David noticed a small dimple appear in her left cheek. And then she looked away and disappeared back into the store.

"You ok man?" Paul asked.

David stared after her a smirk slipping across his lips as he let out a soft chuckle and said "Eliana, huh? Nice eyes."

**Tell me what you think, please. I'm kind of struggling with how to portray David... his pov to write from... any suggestions would be welcome. The next chapter will be from Eliana's pov. I think i'm gonna switch between David and Eliana every chapter. we'll see how that goes. **


	2. Chapter 2

Eliana sat behind the counter of her music store as people milled about, flipping through her cds and the variety of merchandise she stocked while they were on their lunch breaks. It was around noon and her feet were propped up on and edge and she was leaning back to front two legs of her chair in the air and the back of her chair resting on the wall behind her. She was running her pencil along a pad of paper she had lain across her knees, making quick light strokes. The head phones resting on her head pulsed as music flooded into her ears and drowned out the sound of the Michael Jackson playing over the speakers. She didn't dislike the pop sensation's music, but at the moment Pink Floyd's another brick in the wall fit with the person she was drawing. David.

The other night had been the first time she had seen him and his three friends. It had been the first night she had had a chance to actually go out onto to the boardwalk at night, she had only moved in a week ago and the while time had been spent setting up the store for its opening and cataloguing inventory. She watched the scene between the four boys and the 'Surf Nazi', as people so fondly referred to them as, with interest. The people had been with had told her they were locals who visited the boardwalk nearly every night.

There were some things, some people that just stuck in her head. They'd pop up at random times, distracting Eliana from whatever she was doing. It had become quite a nuisance. Eliana had found over the years that the only way to really get them out of her head was to draw them. Needless to say those four boys had captured her mind's attention. Most people moved so quickly, it was always the next event, the next goal, the next step in their lives. These boys, however, they moved infinitely slower, they took their time and enjoyed life.

Although at the moment they were really beginning to annoy her. She didn't know his name but shorter blond with the curls, Eliana had to admit his jacket was fantastic but freaking ridiculous to try and draw. She muttered angrily under her breath as she attempted for a third time to remember the exact details of his jacket. She rubbed the back of her head and decided to move on to the other three. The image of the four of them leaning on the railing across from her store wasn't hard to picture. They had stood there for a majority of the night even after Eliana had gone back inside. She still wasn't exactly sure why they had been there. Maybe it had been just a coincidence. Eliana glanced up a few moments later to see a peppy blonde standing in front of the counter a tall brunette boy in a baseball cap beside her. Eliana pulled her headphones off.

"Hey Lucy, Hey Cory" she said, slightly unnerved by the girl's wide smile. Lucy was a short girl with blonde hair she curled every night with rollers. She was sweet and kind but in Eliana's opinion slightly, well, annoying. She had been the first to introduce herself to Eliana when she had moved to Santa Carla and although Eliana appreciated it, the girl had become slightly clingy. Lucy seemed to have decided that Eliana was her new best friend. She had been dating Cory for six months now, Normally Eliana wouldn't have really cared enough to ask but Lucy hadn't bothered to wait for an invitation, she had informed Eliana of the ins and outs of her and Cory's relationship within ten minutes of meeting her.

"Hey Eliana" Cory said with a nod and small smile. Eliana much preferred Cory to Lucy. He was tall with shaggy brown hair and soft brown eyes. Quiet and reserved, he was the complete opposite of his girlfriend. She could only spend a few hours with Lucy before she truly began to grate her, Cory she could spend maybe double that time with. The truth was, there were few people she could really spend long periods of time with without becoming irritated, Eliana considered it a major character flaw she had. Maybe it was just because she wasn't used to them.

"Guess who came in asking about you last night." Lucy said with enthusiasm her smile widening to an abnormal extent. Eliana gave her a bewildered look.

"Um, I don't know."

"Marko!" she said her voice rising a few octaves. Eliana's expression became even more bemused.

"Who?"

"You know the guy we saw the other night, curly blonde hair with dreads in the back. He hangs out with David."

"Oh! You mean the one with the colorful jacket?" Eliana asked, "I thought you said you didn't know his name?"

"I didn't, but he came in last night while I was working my shift, Ray had given me an extra because apparently Monique had gotten sick with the flu. I heard from Jenny though that she had mono and she got it from Drew _not _John. I guess you don't know them but John and she have been off and on again for a while and the idea that she'd betray him for Drew is-"

"He came in asking about your drawings and Lucy told him you worked here," Cory interrupted. Lucy huffed and puffed over the interruption of her story but Cory ignored it.

"I guess that explains why they were outside the store last night," Eliana said setting her drawing pad down and swinging her chair forward so it rested on all four legs.

"They were here last night?" Both Lucy and Cory asked in unison but with entirely different tones. Lucy seemed excited. Eliana wasn't surprised from what she had learned from the others the night she first saw David and his friends they were like demi-gods of the boardwalk. No one knew exactly who they were but everyone knew their faces. People argued over the things they had done but no one could tell Eliana why people seemed so interested. It was like some kind of invisible gravitational force around them that both pulled and pushed people away. So when Lucy heard they had shown an interest in her new friend, it was like they shown an interest in her.

Cory seemed to have the exact opposite opinion and he had expressed his thoughts on the matter very clearly. He held with the people who not only didn't care what the four boys did and were content to never cross paths with them but felt slightly uneasy whenever they were around.

"Do you know the other two's names?" Eliana asked, ignoring the question.

"Um, no. I think its Darren and Paul or maybe it's Patrick. I'm not sure," Lucy replied with a shrug.

"Those guys are bad news Eli," Cory warned a frown marring his face.

"Oh you be quiet," Lucy snapped, "Eli I want you to tell me all about it. Now." Her tone left no room for argument. Cory sighed in response and moved further into the store toward the cds, obviously deciding this conversation was threatening to run into female territory, something he wasn't comfortable with. "Tell me," Lucy demanded again, her eyes dark with unvoiced threats should Eliana withhold information. Eliana blinked for a moment, she hadn't really talked one on one with a girl in a while, and in fact Eliana couldn't remember ever having sat around and gossiped. It was an odd feeling of power, the idea that she could manipulate a person's perception of another was an exhilarating feeling. She could imagine easily how this feeling of power could twist people. Eliana shook her head, ridding herself of the strange thoughts; she repeated her mantra to herself quickly.

_I will not compare this life to my old one. _

"Ok," Eliana said and leaned over the counter, "I mean there's not much to tell. I saw them standing outside the store, leaning against the railing of the pier."

"Did they come in?" she asked excitedly.

"Nope"

"They just stood out there?"

"Yep"

"Well that's boring," Lucy said in disappointment. Eliana shrugged and passed Lucy the picture she had drawn.

"Wait, this is what they looked liked?" she asked.

"Yeah"

"That's a pretty intense stare," Lucy said her voice gaining back its enthusiasm; "I bet David has a thing for you!"

"We haven't even said two words to each other Lucy" Eliana replied, as she took her drawing back from Lucy clutches. Lucy excitement made her kind of nervous. First, she doubted David had any feelings for her which meant Lucy was likely to make a fool of both Eliana and herself. Second, Even if David did have any feelings for her, Eliana wasn't quite sure she wanted him to have feelings for her. Lucy merely shrugged and skipped behind the counter to watch Eliana continue the drawing. Eliana moved over in her chair to give some distance between herself and the girl, she hated people watching her draw. She worked quickly on the tallest of them all, the last blonde. She wondered vaguely what his name was. She knew Marko and David now but not the other two.

Looking at the four boys they seemed like cookie cutter bikers, but there was something different about these four. The one with black hair for example, he was physically the most attractive and is lack of shirt didn't hinder that, but his necklace, Eliana couldn't be sure but they looked like real animal teeth. Sure, store sold necklaces like that but those teeth looked like puma teeth. If Eliana remembered like there were types of puma that were endangered so either he dealt with poachers or he had an odd hobby.

The taller blonde, whatever his name was, was wearing what looked to be like some kind black jacket with pieces of leather and a weird silver chain on the side. Then there were Marko and David. Marko looked way to innocent to be a biker and David, well David seemed to smart. Not to say bikers weren't smart, she wasn't talking about intelligence. Eliana was talking about natural aptitude, the kind that allows people to understand people, the world; The kind that the most cut-throat individuals of society employed. Eliana tapped her chin, deep in thought. She glanced out the window, she had the urge to seek David and his friends out again but she didn't have anyone scheduled to work tonight.

There were plenty of people who wanted a job, that was for sure, the problem was they all were, well to put it simply druggies or airheads. Eliana had some extremely expensive merchandise in here, true it was more for show than for sale but she needed someone who she could trust to watch the store when she wasn't there. She had interviewed fifteen people and had managed to find one person she considered competent enough to employ, a guy by the name of Ian. But he only wanted to work four days out of the week that left the other three to her. Eliana needed to find someone else to fill up the other shifts.

"Hey Lucy," Eliana said, glancing at the girl, "Wanna do me a favor?"

"Yeah sure," She said, looking up from the drawing.

"I have to work tonight, but you could be the best person ever and take this with you," Eliana said, reaching down under the counter and pulling out a drawing portfolio. She opened it flipping through the pages until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled it out, careful smoothing it and flipping it over. She scribbled a name in one corner and held it out to Lucy.

"What do you want me to do with that?" She asked

"I want you to take it with you and if you happen to see him, I want you to give it to him," Eliana stated offering the drawing to Lucy again.

Lucy took it from her, flipping it over in her hand to look at the face one. A look of confusion then realization then nervousness washed over her face. It seemed the confident Lucy was struck shy by the idea of potentially approaching David and his friends.

"Eli, I don't think-"

"Please! Lucy, I have to work all night. I'll give you any CD you want."

"Any CD?"

"Yeah, any CD."

"Well," Lucy began, tapping her chin in mock thought, "This is a big favor considering I have never talked to them before in my life. But. Because you are my friend I'll do this for you."

"In exchange for what?'

"Have you got the new Madonna CD."

"That doesn't come out for two weeks."

"Do you have it?"

"Ugh, fine. Here." Eliana pulled a ribbon from around her neck. It held a set of keys, pulling one out she unlocked a lockbox bolted to the floor of her store. She reached in and took out a CD. She held it up and Lucy grabbed at it.

"Hey, calm down. One rule, no one knows you have this. You did _not_ get it from me. And if anyone does find out, you'll be shelling out for half the law suit."

"Alright, Alright, just give it to me!" Eliana released the CD. Lucy snatched it up quickly and clutched it to her in happiness. She was about to go when Eliana let out a cough and pointed at the drawing. Lucy's face fell; she obviously had thought Eliana would forget. She seemed to weigh her options for a moment but must had sided with the Madonna CD because she snatched up the drawing.

"Cory, let's go, we're leaving," she shouted to her boyfriend in the back, who followed. Eliana sighed and returned to her sketchpad, pulling her headphones back on.

**Reviews appreciated**


	3. Chapter 3

It was late when David stepped up onto the Boardwalk, leaving his bike to one side. Marko, Dwayne, and Paul moved behind him as he glided through the crowds. He moved past the game stands, the sounds of people shooting targets and various games ringing surrounded them. Children ran about them, darting in and out of the crowds, their parents seconds behind them. Teens leaned against stands and walls, smoking, talking, chilling. David watched them all, taking in everyone, searching for his next kill. One would think it wouldn't matter to a vampire who they killed but like any other person each of them had their types.

Dwayne didn't have a preference when it came to gender but he didn't like to fight. He liked a prey he could control and overpower. Dwayne usually went for the weakest of the victims, taking his time to finish them off. Paul was the opposite, he preferred someone who put of a fight who kicked and screamed and tried to get away. He loved to let his prey go and later hunt them down, tormenting them. Marko normally went for girls; particularly ones he thought were pretty. He'd choose a girl, flirt with them, gain their trust and then kill them, quickly. Of all of them Marko was the most humane, if you could call a vampire who kills almost nightly humane, perhaps it was because he was the youngest and still retained some of his humanity. Maybe he just got no pleasure out of prolonging the kill, it really could be either.

David wasn't really picky, he had a type, yes, but over the years he had become less attached to it. He could be satisfied killing anyone but if he had to describe his perfect victim he was actually quite similar to Marko. He liked to play with his food before he ate it. It could be a simple as talking to them the night before or spending a week getting to know them. Either way, David enjoyed the rush of tricking someone into ignoring their instincts and then making them realize the horrible mistake they had made. It wasn't often he employed this method of hunting, though, befriending people often meant being seen with them which became a problem when they suddenly went missing so David saved his games for the most special of victims.

Tonight, though, he wasn't searching for just any victim, he was searching for a distraction. A victim who would be able to occupy his mind and take him away from all the thoughts that had been plaguing it. He hadn't slept that day, while his brothers hung from the rafters he had sat in the shadows of the lobby, turning Eliana's drawing over in his hands. No matter how he tried, he couldn't get her piercing eyes out of his mind; no one had ever looked at him like that, smiled at him like that. Toward the end of the day David had made his decision. It had been hard to really choose, she was well liked and well known even though she had only been there for a week; furthermore, it was likely that Eliana had told someone about the drawing, about him being outside the store, why wouldn't she after all? But David could see no way around it; the thoughts of her wouldn't disappear until she did. So David decided that day, sitting in the shadows and gazing out at the sunbeams seeping in through holes in the ceiling, to kill Eliana.

He had spent to remaining hours deciding how, quick and fast or slow and painful. He could kill her tonight, lure her out of the store into a nearby alley and tear her throat out before she even had a chance to scream. Better yet, he could wait until she closed her store and break in, her death could be slower then, in the dead of night when no one would hear her. But why rush, she was interested in him, why not let it play out. He hadn't let himself have real fun with a victim in a while; perhaps she could provide more than one night's amusement. At least David told himself it was for his own amusement, it would be fun a thing to do, something to break the mundane routine of his life. He was most definitely not prolonging her death to try and figure her out, to try and figure out why she looked at him like that, in a way he couldn't really explain.

David felt Paul nudge his shoulder and he returned from the world of his thoughts. Paul was looking at a group of teens, pot heads from what David could tell, he was grinning. Marko and Dwayne were across the boardwalk, eyeing the group of six as well. Four boys and three girls, they were sitting in a circle in an alley close to the action of the boardwalk but far enough away that no one noticed them passing their joint around. Marko was eyeing a blonde on the right, while Dwayne watched the other two girls. Paul had settled on the biggest two guys leaving the other two to David. Without saying a word to each other, a few mere glances at each other did the job, and the four boys had claimed their victims.

They wouldn't kill them now; no they'd wait till the boardwalk cleared out a bit, till the locals headed home for sleep and the tourists returned to their hotels. Then they'd track them down; follow their scent from the alley to wherever it was that their future prey had ended up. From what David knew of people he'd guess they would all go to one house, most likely whichever of them lived alone, and would be completely blazed by the time they got there. There was nothing like the threat of death to sober someone up.

Paul and David moved over to where Marko and Dwayne were standing.

"Hey, check it out," Paul said nodding in the direction of some kids. They were standing by one of the game stands all talking. One girl in particular kept glancing in their direction. "That's the chick from Ray's," Paul continued.

"Lucy" Marko said.

"Looks like she's sweet on you Marko," Dwayne added a snicker in his voice. It was indeed a possibility; she kept looking away from her friends toward Marko, nervousness plastered all over her features. Marko smiled at her a waved a small wave in her direction. This seemed to encourage her because she said something to her friends and walked toward them. They turned to watched her go; one boy in particular looked at David and his brothers darkly. Lucy reached them quickly and as she drew closer David saw it, the folder in her hand that looked so familiar. She walked straight to Marko, not looking any of them in the eye. She held the folder out.

"This is for you, Eliana asked me to give it to you since she was working tonight," Lucy recited quickly. Marko looked at her for a moment before taking the folder. The moment the folder left her hand Lucy turned, her assignment done, and walked quickly back to her group of friends. None of them noticed. They were looking over Marko's shoulder at the drawing of him that had been in the folder. The drawing showed him from the waist up, his index finger resting on his lips as he smiled. It was from the same night as the carousel drawing David was in, Marko has given his jacket to young girl, the same one he later killed, and had been telling her a joke. It was a fantastic portrayal of him; in particular, it conveyed the cruel and childish paradox he spent his life in.

He was grinning from ear to ear as he gazed at his picture.

"Guess you're not the special one anymore, eh?" Paul asked in a joking matter and elbowing David lightly. David repressed the growl that pooled in his throat as jealously bubbled in him. Instead he forced a lazy grin.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves to our little artist," he said masking his disappointment that Marko had received a drawing. He wasn't jealous that the girl was showing an interest in Marko, of course, more wary that Marko may try to take his prey from him. David told himself that a few times as they walked down the boardwalk to the music store.

His first time in the store, he was surprised by what he saw. He expected a generic music store like all the others that littered the boardwalk but this was different. First the store was much larger on the inside than it looked like from the outside. In fact, it was the size of a small restaurant. The walls were, instead of paint or wallpaper, were covered in band posters from every single genre of music from rock to blues. In the front of the store were two magazine racks holding various music magazines including Rolling Stone, both the current and past issues. As the store continued inward it split in two. On one side was stands filled with CDs, in between each stand were boom boxes with headphones attached, stacks of CDs sitting next them. People stood in front of them, taking CDs out and putting new ones in as they listened to the complementary music. Clear cases full of band posters for sale rested against the wall.

On the other side were the merchandise and the register where Eliana sat, the most recent issue of Rolling Stone held up in front of her face. There were all kinds of things for sale; shirts, glasses, sweatshirts, jackets, hats, patches, key chains, basically every item imaginable. Most impressive of all was the glass case that sat against the wall the where the register was. It held three guitars and three mannequins. The first shirt was a Madonna shirt, the second a Rolling Stones shirt, and the third a Pink Floyd; shirt each, however, was signed by the artist or band in bright silver sharpie. The guitars were all extremely nice and also signed this time by Guns and Roses, AC/DC, and Metallica.

Paul immediately drifted toward the glass case, staring longingly at the Pink Floyd shirt as David, Marko, and Dwayne scattered about the store. David soon found that not only did this store stock basically everything any music lover would need but it was cheap. She was selling CDs for around half the price of every other store. David wondered for a moment how Eliana could afford to do that. His thoughts were interrupted when a harsh growling was heard over the music playing in the store, David looked over. A huge black dog was growling at Dwayne, who was standing by some glass shelves that held various merchandise.

"I suggest you put that shot glass back unless you intend to pay for it," Eliana's voice came from behind her magazine. Dwayne glanced in David's direction quickly as he lowered his hand into his pocket and pulled out an AC/DC shot glass he had swiped from the shelf moments before. He set it back on the shelf and immediately the dog stopped growling and sat back at the register. Dwayne sneered at the dog and moved away from that area of the store.

"Did you train your dog to catch shoplifters?" Marko asked, leaning against the counter Eliana was sitting behind. She set her magazine down and looked at him not seeming to take any notice in the sweet smile he was flashing her.

"He does it on his own; I'm not sure where he learned it." David listened closely to how she talked, she had a slight accent. It sounded southern.

"Are you from California," Marko asked, trying to engage Eliana in conversation.

"You know normally people introduce themselves before trying to pry into someone's personal life," Eliana stated as she pulled what looked to be a pad of paper out from under the counter. She sat with her feet on the edge of the counter, resting the pad on her knees.

"I'm Marko," Marko introduced himself, holding out his hand a smile still plastered on his face.

"Who are your friends?" She asked, ignoring the attempt at a handshake.

"Dwayne, Paul, David" Marko replied pointing out each of his brothers in turn. Eliana flicked her eyes over each of them as they were named. When she got to David he caught her gaze and refused to let it go. He simply stared at her. Eliana held his gaze for a few second then smiled and with a small chuckle returned to whatever she was drawing. It irked David slightly that his gaze seemed to have absolutely no effect on her.

"You're drawings are really good," Marko said attempting to continue the conversation, he was also not used to having someone simply not react to his attention.

"Hm, thanks" She replied in a soft mutter, she was obviously concentrating.

"Why did you only draw David and me?" he asked.

"Hm, what?" Eliana asked, looking up. She looked slightly annoyed that Marko wouldn't leave her to her drawing.

"He asked why you drew us and not Paul or Dwayne," David told her. Eliana looked at him and smirked.

"I did, but drawing people I don't know is creepy enough I prefer to at least know their names before I give them their drawings. You were the only one whose name people could absolutely agree on. They all knew who your friends were, they just couldn't agree on their names," She shrugged nonchalantly, brushing off any indication that David was special in anyway. "Lucy told me Marko's name when she came by earlier today." She glanced up at David and he couldn't be sure but it seemed she caught the disappointment that flashed over him before he could repress it. Nothing had changed though; there was no reason to be disappointed. So she wasn't interested, David could still lure her to him. He was sure of it.

"I have to admit though, whatever you're doing, you're doing it right," she continued

"What do you mean?" Dwayne asked each of them now listening to her.

"People are either scared shitless of you or in love with you. That's pretty impressive," Eliana replied with a smirk.

"And what do you think of that," David asked, he was standing across from the counter, right in front of her.

"You're memorable, and whatever makes you memorable makes you fun to draw," she said, meeting his gaze without hesitation. David leaned over the counter. She leaned over as well, their faces only inches apart. He was playing with her and she was playing right back. Impressive.

"What time do you close up?" David asked.

"Way past your bed time, David," she replied. Neither of them giving up any ground. David was about to reply when he heard a commotion toward the front of the store. Four Surf Nazis had walked in, drunk. David moved back from the counter and to the side unwilling to start any confrontation that would frighten his prey away. They didn't seem to notice him as the one in front, Blake, strode up to the counter and leaned over it.

"Hey there Eli," he said with a broad grin, "how about you close up early and come play with us." His companions hooted in agreement. To David's surprise she didn't panic or even seem to react.

"No thanks," she stated simply looking Blake straight in the eyes, "I'm not interested and only my friends call me Eli." Anger darkened Blake's face and he was about to say something in return when Dwayne spoke up.

"I believe the lady said she wasn't interested." Blake's head snapped over toward where Dwayne stood. He finally noticed the presence of the four brothers and took a hesitant step back fear flashing across his face before he could compose himself. He managed to fake a smirk as he walked back toward the entrance.

"Let's go boys," His air of confidence didn't fool David, he could smell the fear even after Blake left the store. David looked back at Eliana, she had returned to her drawing as though nothing had ever happened. She seemed to finish whatever she was working on because she reached under the counter and pulled out a folder and scribbled on some papers in it before placing the new drawing it.

"Here," she said holding the folder out for him, "Sorry about that, I wanted to finish before you guys left. I hope you know you choice in wardrobe really makes my life hell." David took the folder form her and opened it. There were three pictures on of Paul, one of Dwayne, and a group picture. It was of them leaning outside her store.

"Neat," Paul said from where he was standing looking over David's shoulder, "Let me see" David let Paul take the folder and continued to watch Eliana.

"What?" she asked. David raised an eyebrow, his look turning expectant. She sighed, obviously determining it was no use ignoring him.

"I close at 10:30," Eliana told him before returning to her leaning position in the chair. David smirked and nodded toward Marko. David began to leave the store, Marko knocking Dwayne and Paul on the shoulders to draw their attention away from the drawings and motioning for them to follow.


	4. Chapter 4

Eliana sighed darkly to herself as she stood in the bathroom of her store leaning on the sink and staring into the mirror. It wasn't as if she was primping herself exactly, that would involve caring what David thought about her looks, which she didn't. Eliana was primping herself for any other guys she would potentially meet on the board walk that night, yes that was what she was doing. So that's what Eliana told herself as she attempted to find a way to style her hair so it didn't look like a frizz ball and her curls didn't look like they were balloons that had lost too much air.

Eliana glanced down at her watch to check the time. 10:35. She fingered the watch on her wrist gently. She wore it every single day only taking it off when she showered or slept. She couldn't help but remember the day she got it, it had been a gift. A sad smile graced her face and she blinked quickly and pushed back her emotions.

_I will not compare this life to my old one_

Eliana finally decide to just pull her hair up into a side ponytail. She did so quickly and splashed her face with cold water to rid her eyes of the slight redness that had developed there. Damn her memories they kept causing her problems. She had overcome memories before and Eliana was determined to do it again. There wasn't a point in thinking about the past, that's exactly what it was, the past, and nothing would change it. Eliana slipped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her and looked out at her empty store. The only sound echoing in the room was the soft padded footsteps of her dog Seer as he walked over to her, brushing his long soft black fur along her bare legs.

"Hey buddy," she said softly to Seer, rubbing the soft skin behind his ear. Seer peered up at her his golden eyes flashing softly beneath his long lashes. "You want to come with or stay here" Seer answered by licking Eliana's hand and then returning to his post besides the register. Eliana smiled at her loyal dog, another gift. She had had him for four years now and he had never left her, had never been wrong. Of all the people she had met it was Seer who was the best judge of character and she trusted his instincts without any doubt.

She had been surprised when he didn't growl at David or his friends. They weren't the type of people Seer normally approved up. He had even growled at Lucy when he first met her, but not David. Eliana sighed and shook her head, for all she knew David could have just smelled like beef or something. But even so Eliana took some comfort in the fact that Seer hadn't snarled at David, it meant something Eliana just didn't know what, yet. She walked over to the register and grabbed her black hoodie. Slipping it over her shoulders she walked out of the store, making sure to lock the door behind her.

10:45. Eliana stood across from her store, leaning against the railing. She was looking out over the ocean behind her. Every couple of seconds she looked about, trying to spot David or Paul or Marko or Dwayne, and then glance at her watch. At eleven she gave up and strode out into the crowd, feeling like it was middle school again and she had just been stood up by her date. She quickly pushed the feeling away there wasn't really a point in being upset. There was a chance he had forgotten or was busy; then again, he could have just ditched her. Getting angry wouldn't help the situation at all; in fact, it would probably just make David more proud of himself. Eliana decided not to care right now and instead to find something to eat; she hadn't had anything since lunch. She walked through the food stands trying to find something she felt like eating.

She decided on a corn dog and some curly fries. She was sitting on a bench munching on her food when she saw Lucy and Cory standing off to the side. Lucy spotted her and immediately came over, dragging Cory and two other with her.

"Hey Eli," Lucy said with a smile as she plopped down besides her. "What's going on?"

"I'm eating my dinner," Eli replied.

"You know eating past eight makes you fat," Lucy said. Eli looked at her for a moment wondering if she had actually just said that. She looked down at herself and then at her fries.

"I'm strangely ok with that" Eli stated slowly, as she put another fry in her mouth. Cory chuckled and shook his head. Lucy shrugged and began to talk quickly about some incident or other that had occurred. Eli pretended to listen as she blabbered on about this and that. Cory had moved to her side and was leaning against the bench by Lucy.

"Eli! Eliiiii," Eliana looked up from where she had been staring into space. "I asked you a question."

"What? oh, sorry. I space out."

"How come you always wear that watch?"

"Oh this?" Eli asked pointing to the watch, "It was a gift from my brother." Lucy nodded.

"I had this really awesome watch once, it was pink. But my stupid sister stole it from me-"Eliana turned her attention away from Lucy as she once again launched into a speech about her life. She nodded and muttered words of support whenever Lucy seemed to be in need of encouragement. Instead of actually paying attention she glanced out over the crowds. And suddenly David was there. It seemed like he appeared out of nowhere. He was standing only a few yards away, his friend besides him. Without hesitating Eliana stood and walked over to them and then, thinking twice, without even acknowledging them, walked right past them. Lucy called after her but she didn't acknowledge her shouts. Eliana decided that if David wanted to play with her she could play right back.

She walked down the boardwalk and toward the beach. She glanced in a store window and saw David trailing her, his friends behind him. Eliana smiled and walked into a small movie theatre remembering again how much fun this was and why she had helped her brother all those times. Purchasing a ticket for a random movie she walked quickly into the theatre and sat in the back against the wall. She sat in the movie as the opening credits rolled, minutes passed before she saw David standing at the entrance, watching her. He climbed the steps and took the seat next to her. She didn't see Marko or Paul or Dwayne anywhere. She was surprised how David looked, normally people who traveled in groups seemed small and alone without them, hence why they traveled in groups, but David seemed even more imposing without his friends. Maybe it was because she could no longer distract herself by looking at the others, now her attention was focused solely on David. She kept her eyes on the screen attempting to ignore the urge to ask David why he had ditched her.

"You weren't at your store," his statement was simple and void of emotion as he brought up the topic on his own. Eliana glanced at his face but she couldn't see much in the dim light. He didn't look at her at all and after a few moments Eliana decided to reply.

"I was at my store till eleven," she replied trying to sound as detached as David did. She guessed she had succeeded because he replied immediately.

"You could have waited a while longer"

"You act as though I was invited you to come pick me up. I told you I closed at 10:30, that's all," That came out a lot bitterer than Eliana had expected it to and she glanced at David's face to see his reaction. She noticed the frown that turned down the edges of his lips.

"I didn't offer to come pick you up," he replied. He was staring straight at the screen his face hardened. Eliana couldn't help but laugh at both of them. She saw a small grin slip across David's features and she laughed a little louder attracting the attention of the other movie goers. She covered her mouth to silence herself. She hadn't expected David and herself to be so similar, completely unable to admit to the other that they had been looking forward to each other's company. Eliana knew that for her it was because of the implications, she didn't like that she couldn't just spend time with the four boys without being labeled and as for David; she had no idea why he couldn't admit it, but she could probably guess why.

"Good to know we're on the same page," Eliana managed to get out when she had calmed herself down. "Because offering to pick me up would have far too much romantic connotation and obviously I would never think of you in a romantic way."

"Neither would I, You aren't my type"

'"Yeah, you aren't mine either." She smiled to herself as she stared back at the screen. David shifted in his seat and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. Eliana propped her feet up on the chair in front of her. She was surprised by how relaxed she was in David's presence. Normally when in close proximity with people she got agitated but David didn't seem to bother her. She tried to focus on the movie but I was pretty bad. Instead she found herself wondering whether David and she were actually becoming friends. She glanced over at him and found him watching her as well. Their gazes locked for the third time since she had first saw him but this time it was different. There was an electricity in the darkened room that seemed to only flow between them. It was an overwhelming feeling Eliana had never been exposed to. She felt, suddenly, that if he asked her at the precise moment if she wanted to be more than friends. She would have said yes.

"This sucks," David stated standing, effectively breaking eye contact with Eliana and ending the strange current between them. "Let's go."

"Is that an offer this time?" Eliana asked from where she sat. David smirked in response to her question and held his hand out to her. She watched him for a moment debating whether she should go with him, he was dangerous after all, Eliana wasn't blind to that but for tonight she decided, she didn't care. She took his hand and in one easy movement he swept her up and into a standing position. Eliana stumbled slightly and let out a little giggle to the irritation of the others in the theatre. She quickly followed David out of the theatre as he pulled her along. They received looks from everyone they passed on the way out but neither she nor David paid them any attention. David didn't seem to care about any one's thoughts.

Suddenly Eliana wanted to be someone whose opinions he cared about, instead of the random person on the street who he never looked twice at. She repressed the desire and stepped through the door David held for her and into the night air. His three friends were standing outside and almost immediately David dropped Eliana's hand as though he had been burned. Eliana chose to ignore this, she understood, and instead of making a scene she simply walked forward toward them, any previous anger with the four boys forgotten.

"Hey Eli, sorry we ditched you," Marko said. Eliana merely smiled and nodded to him

"Yeah Eli, we're sorry. We getting dinner," Paul told her with a grin and received a jab in the ribs from David in response.

"Sounds lovely, but I don't remember giving any of you permission to call me Eli" Marko and Paul ignored her stab with extreme ease.

"You let Lucy call you Eli," Marko pointed out.

"She does that without my permission, its rather annoying actually."

"Oh and who is allowed to call you Eli?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, would you let David call you Eli?" Marko continued giving Eliana a suggestive look. Eliana raised an eyebrow at them not really believing that they of all people were suggesting that.

"Nope, probably not. He hasn't earned the right," she replied with a smile.

"And what would I have to do to earn this esteemed right?" David asked. Eliana smiled a mischievous little smile.

"Well If I told you, it wouldn't be a game."

"Let's go do something," Marko suggested with a grin, distracting Eliana before David could reply to her challenge. Eliana nodded and slipped her arm through Marko's and began to stride back toward the more crowded parts of the boardwalk. Marko skipped along besides her with a smile, the other three following behind. Eliana glanced behind them and noticed a strange look passing between David and Dwayne. She wasn't sure quite what it was but she had seen it before, a long long time ago.

"So what shall we do with our ample time, my lady?" Marko asked with a flourish of his arm toward the crowds pulling Eliana's attention back to him, "the boardwalk is yours."

"Why thank you, love," Eliana replied she southern accent coming through more than normal. Marko's arm slipped around Eliana's shoulders as she looked about. "Can we can go on a ride?"

"A ride, what are you five?" Paul asked from behind them. Eliana turned around and stuck her tongue out at Paul.

"I've been here a week I demand to go on a ride." She noticed a strange look on David's face, almost like jealousy. Eliana smiled at him. "Will you go on a ride with me David," she asked feeling a childness take over her as she began to bounce softly. David glided forward, between Eliana and Marko, successfully separating them. He faced Eliana, his back to Marko.

"Pick one." Eliana jumped up and down in happiness and grabbed his arm, pulling him in the direction of the roller coaster.

"The roller coaster?" David asked as she dragged him toward the line.

"What?" Eliana asked, looking at him softly.

"Don't most girls prefer the Ferris Wheel?" Paul asked, nudging her suggestively, "It's much more personal."

"Well that would involve going with some I am actually attracted to," Eliana replied hotly and crossed her arms. She noticed David step back slightly his eyes darkening.

"I don't want to ride," David said simply. Eliana opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when she felt someone take hold of her elbow. Dwayne guided her toward the back of the line.

"I'll ride with you," he said Paul following them. Only David and Marko remained.

**My God David is so much easier to write, rawr. As always reviews are appreciated. I'd like to thank SunLitMercy, 21st Century Girl, and Emzy2k11 for their reviews on the recent chapter. =) Tell what you think of Eliana's point of view I'm not sure how well its turning out. **


	5. Chapter 5

David flipped through the CDs in Eliana's cases. He was watching out of the corner of his eye as Paul and Eliana talked about the various bands he was interested in. Marko was leaning nearby occasionally interjecting into their conversation. She was smiling a board smile at Paul and occasionally a laugh would escape her lips. Her brown curls were particularly wild today and David had noticed she would habitually push them over her left shoulder, expect when and only when she was truly enjoying herself. In fact, David had noticed quite a bit unique to Eliana over the last view days. She always played with the lanyard around her neck from which hers various keys hung when she was talking. When she was irritated she would scratch her fingers along her thighs. When she was confused Eliana twirled a single stranded curl around her index finger.

He couldn't help but notice these things. She was so different from other humans, when she spoke to people her attention was completely focused on them and she seemed completely engrossed in what they were saying. David wanted to walk over and talk to her, about anything as long as he had her attention instead of any of his brothers but he hung back not sure how Eliana would react to his presence, then again he was never really sure how she was going to react to anything, she had laughed straight at his coldest comments but his ordinary acts seemed to truly upset her.

"Go talk to her," Dwayne said, he was flipping through a magazine. David immediately looked away from Eliana instantly.

"Maybe I don't want to"

Dwayne snorted "yeah, sure after last night I'm sure you don't."

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Eli happens to mention she's not attracted to any of us and you give her the cold shoulder, remember that? Or did I dream it up?" David just glared at Dwayne but he seemed to be content to ignore him and continue reading his magazine. David returned to his CD browsing but after a few moments of silence he replied.

"I wasn't that mean" Dwayne looked at him his eyebrows were raised in surprise; David wasn't the kind of person who understated anything.

"Not mean?" Dwayne asked, "I think that's the meanest I've seen you in a long time." David rolled his eyes and returned to the CDs, he tried to ignore Dwayne's comment but he couldn't help but acknowledge the guilt pooling inside him. He had no reason to feel guilty; Eliana had brought it on herself. No she hadn't. Damn it. What did it matter she was just human; no she wasn't even that she was prey.

David remembered how Eliana hung off Dwayne when they came back from the rollercoaster last night, laughing at the experience her fingers intertwined with his. It had been an innocent gesture, from a person who David had learned enjoyed that kind of thing, hand holding and such. She seemed to always have her arm around someone; Marko, Dwayne, Paul but never him, never David. She ha never once attempted any kind of physical contact with him. Her curls had been blown out of her lose ponytail and hung in a messy array about her face. She had seemed almost giddy and had been talking quickly to Dwayne about the ride with a tone and expression David had never received before. She acted like an entirely different person with his brothers, so much more open. David couldn't help the jealousy athat blossomed in him, but he didn't want to be jealousy of anyone least of all his brothers so instead the jealousy had been replaced by surge of anger that had settled over him and lingered there for the remainder of the night.

"She's my kill" he had told Marko.

"I know David"

"I'm going to kill her"

"I know David"

David had repeated that to Marko multiple times that night and every time Marko responded the way '_I know David'_. David tried to pretend Marko had sounded sincere, like he hadn't sounded like he didn't believe a word he said. It was vital to David that Marko agree, that he acknowledge that David intended to kill Eliana. If Marko didn't believe he would kill Eliana, how could David believe it? Marko was always the one who knew people, had a way with them, even his brothers. If Marko doubted him, then… but there wasn't any reason to doubt David, Eliana had all the makings of a good kill; pretty, naïve, and blood that ranked among the best of them. Yet somehow, Marko's remarks hadn't seemed as serious as David wished they had been.

In fact Marko had seemed almost disappointed in David, going so far as to suggest he be kinder to Eliana. At the time David had refused to even recognize that he had done anything wrong but looking back, perhaps he had been to overly cruel to Eliana. It wasn't has if she had truly betrayed him; she hadn't consciously done anything she knew would hurt. no. annoy him. Despite this though, David had made his anger known throughout the remainder of the night to the distress of not only Eliana but also his brothers. He purposely walked separately from the others a cigarette perpetually in his lips to give him an excuse to not answer any questions. Eliana had attempted on many occasions to draw him back from the circle of isolation David had placed himself in but he refused to be pulled back and only set his mind to ignoring her even more.

Dwayne and Paul had consciously stood to the other side of Eliana, placing her between themselves and David; they weren't ignorant to David's moods. This, however, only subjected Eliana to more of David's wrath and any harsh comments he made had been directed toward her. And yet Eliana had not seemed to notice his comments, and if she did she didn't take them to heart instead Eliana seemed to almost punish David; the more often her ridiculed her the more she gravitated toward Dwayne or Paul or Marko. This served to only make David angrier and as a result he tried harder to make his comments affect her. Half through the night he had stormed off in a random direction toward some girl he had never seen before.

David wouldn't have even looked twice at the girl if it hadn't been for the irritation fogging his vision. He would never have called her pretty, she hair was blond her eyes brown, nothing like Eliana. But he flirted with her anyway. He flirted with her despite the presence of her boyfriend and it took Paul and Dwayne's combined effort to pull him away before a fight broke out. David had stood stunned for a few moments after it was all over, never had his brothers interfered like that. Normally they would have been all for the scuffle but they seemed to have become extremely aware of their human companion and took extra effort to accommodate to her. This had annoyed David. He told his brothers it was because he thought they were wasting their time catering to a girl who would be dead soon, but in reality all four of them knew he had become extremely possessive. David told himself it was just possessiveness over his next meal. Whatever the reason was, David's little flirting session had been enough to warrant Eliana ignoring him the rest of the night, although ignored could have been a bit of an understatement. In fact, it had been like David had been completely wiped out of existence, Eliana hadn't even recognized his presence, not once, the rest of the night.

Needless to say, David was worried whether her scorn would carry on from last night into this one. The fact that she had yet to say hello to him only made that fear more real. After Eliana had stopped acknowledging him last night something in David's attitude had changed. All of his brothers had noticed although Eliana didn't seem to. David had suddenly stopped ridiculing any of them and fell silent. More than that though, he had stopped smoking and simply watched Eliana the remainder of the night. David was used to either not caring whether people disliked him or having brothers who forgave quickly. He was not used to having to worry about whether a human girl was still angry at him.

"Why don't you go outside for a minute man," Dwayne suggested with a sigh, finally deciding to show his brother mercy.

"Why would I do that?"

"So I can ask her if she's still pissed at you, plus your staring is starting to freak other costumers out" David tore his eyes away from Eliana and looked about, he was getting stares. David thought about it for a moment shooting a few glares at the various costumers looking at him. He ran his hand through his platinum blonde hair.

"Fine, I'm going out for a smoke" Dwayne nodded as David headed toward the door. Stepping out into the cool night, David lit up a cigarette and leaned against the store's wall. He was busying himself people watching when he happened to glance down; lying on the ground next to the store's mailbox was a rectangular about the size of a large book. He leaned down and picked it up. It was addressed to Eliana. Eliana Smith. So that was her last name. David weighed it in his hand, it felt heavy. He flipped the package over a small white note was taped to the package. David looked a little closer, at the hand written note.

_To my lovely girl –V_

Who was V? David checked the return address, Atlanta, Georgia. David felt a rumbling of jealousy rush through him, whoever this V was he obviously knew Eliana better than he did. David contemplated for a moment throwing the package away but decided that if Eliana did know this V, she'd be mad if she found out he had thrown away a package from .it. David really hoped it wasn't a him. So instead David crushed the remainder of his cigarette under his boot and returned to the store. He was surprised to see Eliana smile at him when he appeared in her line of sight, a soft light smile. David returned the smile with a gentle smirk and a nod of his head. It seemed in that single instant that any tension between them melted away.

"Package," David told her simply and held the box out to her. A look of surprise flicked across her face as she took the box from him.

"A package, but I didn't-" Eliana's voice slipped away when she read the note on the bottom and the color left her face. David saw a small tremor run through her. She seemed to remember where she was and who she was with, because she coughed and regained her composure. "Um, thanks David," she told him as she quickly moved behind the counter and shoved the package underneath it and out of sight. "Listen guys, I don't think I can hang out tonight, I have to take care of a few things. Rain check?"

"Aw, but why?" Marko asked, his lower lip puffing out as he attempted to change Eliana's mind. But she when she looked up David saw the expression on her face and intervened.

"Drop it Marko," David stated simply. Marko immediately backed off.

"No worries Eli, we'll catch up with you tomorrow, here," Dwayne said handing her a couple of CDs he wanted. Almost immediately they began to bicker as Eliana insisted she'd give him the CDs and Dwayne demanded that she let him pay for them. The banter between her and Dwayne seemed to relieve some of her stress as the color returned to her face but she still continued to look back at the counter toward where she had set the package. When she finally agreed to let Dwayne pay for the Cds they left.

"What was that about?" Marko asked as they walked back toward their bikes. David had decided to return to the nest despite the time.

"That package," Paul said, guessing correctly. His statement held the air of a question as he too looked to David for an explanation.

"Who was it from?" Dwayne asked.

"Someone by the name of V," David replied, refusing to really look any of his brothers in the eye.

"How'd you know that?" Marko asked.

"There was a note, it said 'To my lovely girl – V'" David replied.

"Could be a relative, uncle maybe even father," Dwayne suggested.

"Who reacts to a package from their dad like that?" Paul asked.

"We could just ask her about it," Marko suggested. David, Paul, and Dwayne all looked at him. "It was just a suggestion." David ignored them as their argument escalated. He was busy replaying her reaction over and over in his mind. The way her eyes had widened, the way her fingers gripped the box, and the way her heartbeat had audibly sped up; there had been fear there, real fear, and it had made David angry, confused, and nervous all at the same time. Immediately upon arriving at the nest David fled to his favorite wheelchair to mule over his thoughts. He began to go through scenarios in his head, different people who this V could be. It didn't take David long to realize he didn't like any of the options.

"Hey man," Marko said taking a seat on the couch, "No reason to get so wound up."

"What do you know"

Marko ignored David's snappy comment and continued, "It doesn't really matter either way who V is."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's not like we're going to let anything happen to her," Dwayne cut in as he took a seat and pulled a shot glass out of his bag of CDs, "She is your prey, right?"

"Is that the shot glass you tried to swipe the first day we met Eliana?" Paul asked with a raised eyebrow. David looked at the shot glass in Dwayne's hand a small smirk sliding across his lips when he realized it was the same shot glass as the one Dwayne had attempted to steal.

"Yep, she slipped it in here while I wasn't looking, payback for not letting her pay for the CDs I suppose."

"Damn, well I guess this means we _have_ to keep an eye on Eliana." Paul stated.

"And why is that?" David asked, leaning back, his mood lightening slightly.

"Because if she's going to give him that shot glass there a chance I can get that Pink Floyd shirt"

"You mean the autographed Pink Floyd shirt that worth nearly fifty times that?" Marko asked.

"Oh yeah" Paul replied as he closed his eyes and relaxed against the couch. David chuckled at Paul's comment remembering once again why he was truly grateful for his brothers. Even if he still didn't know who this V person was, he managed to let it go, content to think that if any harm was going to befall Eliana he and his brothers would be nearby.

**Right so i didn't actually read this one through before I posted it so the grammar and spelling may be even worse than normal, i apologize. forgive me. This chapter also got a bit weird for me because I completely forgot two major plot points until I was done with the chapter which is why it felt so scare to me, oh well I'll add them in the next one. As always tell me what you think. David was also a bit OOC, couldn't really be helped. Ive got around 20 chapters planned out, its gonna take a nice twist later on. Once i get there i'll see if i want to keep going to end it. depends on my interest and the popularity of this story. Thanks to funkyfloral, Emzy2k11, Aimz-Hesketh, and 21st Century Girl for commenting on the last chapter I really appreciate it. Makes me want to write the next chapter for you guys. **


	6. Chapter 6

Eliana stood behind the counter explaining to Ian how everything worked. He started working today and had come in a little early to get the feel of things. She left him there, counting on him to handle things, and slipped through the back door of the store. Behind it were a set of steps that led to the upper level of her store. For some reason people seemed to think she lived up in James Cove, which was a fairly wealthy suburb in the area. She wasn't really sure how they had come to that conclusion but if Eliana had to guess it had had something to do with Lucy. In reality she lived on the second floor of her store which had been refurbished in to an apartment. It was a small apartment, nothing fancy, with a joined kitchen and living room and a bedroom with a full bath. Her kitchen was basic but quaint with all the equipment one would ever need to cook anything. It had a wide closet on one side; half of which housed her washer and dryer and the other half functioned as a pantry.

The living room had a mismatched couch, two chairs, and a television. There were no boxes stacked in the corners of the two rooms as one would expect in the home of someone who had moved in only weeks ago. In fact the apartment was hardly a home at all. There were no pictures or mementos hanging on walls or set on tables or any personal items at all. If it wasn't for the small pile of receipts from Platinum sitting on the table Eliana ate at, this apartment could have belonged to anyone, anywhere. The only thing hinting toward Eliana's life was a small picture, old and withered and stained with age; it was of a young girl standing with her older brother and parents. They were all smiling and were posed in the convention pose of a family photo; the daughter in her mother's lap, her brown hair pulled neatly in place, her older brother stood next to them, and her father behind them his hand resting on his son's shoulder. At any other time this photo would have been stowed away, out of sight, in a hidden safe Eliana had had installed in the wall of her bedroom. Unlike other safes, hers held no money, no valuables; only that picture, a set of keys, a driver's license, a small journal, and two passports; one for Eliana Amber Smith and the other for Eliana Lee Everett. Now, however, it had been taken from its hiding place and sat on Eliana's queen size bed next to the package David had delivered to her the night before. The package had been torn open and now rested ominously on the bed, its contents not visible from where Eliana stood at the entrance to her room. A second letter had been inside, also opened, it now sat alongside the photo, the words had been smudged by tears.

Eliana moved to the foot of the bed and Seer nipped softly at her heels as she moved closer. He could sense Eliana's agitation and was attempting to reassure her. She ran her fingers through his thick coat in response.

"Thanks bud," Eliana whispered softly to him, "I'm not sure what I'd do without you." Seer just stared up at her his golden eyes seeming to look straight through her. He licked her hand gently and nuzzled her side. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the store?" Eliana asked him with a smile and Seer just looked at her. She laughed and pointed at the door or the apartment. "Store," she commanded and Seer turned to trot back down the steps.

Eliana turned back toward the bed and stared down into the package at the smooth shiny revolver that sat in it, just as it had when she had first opened it. A small box of bullets was sitting next to it with some obscure company name printed on its cover. Eliana reached in to the trace the gun and pick it up, its weight weighing down her hand. She felt a shiver run up her spine and quickly put it back; wiping her hands on her jeans in an attempt to rid herself of the gut wrenching feeling that had sprung up. She wanted to throw the gun and the bullets away, but the words of the letter kept coming back to her.

_If I found you, she can find you._

Eliana reached back into the box and removed the cover of the bullet case. 50 perfectly sculpted bullets sat orderly inside. They didn't shine in the overhead light like the gun did, they surface wasn't cool to the touch like the gun's was, they weren't made of metal like the gun was. No, the bullets in this box were made of another substance. Wood. They were wooden bullets.

Eliana's head snapped up when she heard the sound of knocking at her door. She replaced the cover of the bullet case and scrambled to pack the photo and letter back in the box. Whoever it was had discovered her door was open and the sound of them walking in was followed by the unmistakable sounds of Marko and Paul calling her name. Eliana grabbed the package and went to put it back in the open safe on the wall, her heart pounding. Their voices grew closer as they neared her room and Eliana just managed to shut the safe, the cover on it making it invisible, and sit on her bed when the four boys entered her room.

"H-Hey," She managed to say as she forced a soft smile.

"Hey Eli," Marko replied, "What are you up to?" He and his brothers were looking about the room curiously. Eliana couldn't decide if that was because they had never been in her room before, seeing as last night she had only invited them in for a few minutes before they had to leave, or if they had heard her scrambling about moments early.

"Oh, uh, you know. Nothing much, just hanging around," Eliana replied, unsure of what to say. Marko frowned for a moment and Eliana was afraid that he knew she was lying. She felt her breath catch in her throat and knew that her dread probably showed plainly on her face. Marko was about to ask her something when David intervened.

"You said you needed us to give you a hand tonight, Eliana?" David asked. Eliana repressed her sigh of relief and began to nod instead. She wondered if David had meant to intervene, if he did, Eliana was grateful.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I could make use of your bikes tonight," She said standing and walking toward the door, "See I was asked to do some promotion for a concert in a couple of weeks and I wondering if you could help me with that."

"Promotion huh?" Dwayne asked, "And what exactly do you want us to do?"

"Well, I was hoping I could bribe you guys to hang up posters and put fliers in mailboxes for me," Eliana said a imploring smile slipping across her lips as she looked up at the four boys through her thick lashes. David smirked.

"And what would we get in return?" Marko asked with a grin as he looked Eliana up and down in a suggestive matter. Eliana laughed at him, easily pushing aside Marko's comment.

"Actually, I was going to go with merchandise."

"Merchandise?" Paul asked, his attention peaked, "What kind of merchandise?"

"Any merchandise"

"Any Merchandise? Any at all?"

"Yes Paul, That is the meaning of 'any' after all"

"This includes you signed Pink Floyd shirt?" Paul asked leaning a little bit closer to Eliana, excitement gleaming in his eyes. Eliana resisted smiling and drew out her answer as long as possible and with every passing second Paul seemed to get more and more excited.

"It does indeed"

"Yes!" Paul shouted as he jumped up and spun in the air and took off down the steps and into the store. Eliana shook her head softly to herself as she followed the four boys back down into the store but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't repress the smile bubbling inside her. Paul bounced besides the glass display case that held Eliana's autographed merchandise.

"Oh no you don't," she scolded, "you only get the shirt after the work is done." Paul instantly began to pout but accepted the pile of fliers Eliana handed him. She handed Marko and Dwayne some fliers as well. Glancing about for David she didn't see him anywhere. Marko nodded toward the back and when Eliana turned she saw David sitting on his heels in the back playing fetch with Seer. He would throw the tennis ball toward some unexpecting costumer and Seer would leap after it effectively scaring the costumer enough that they jumped. Seer would then bounce back, tennis ball in tow, and have David throw it again. Seer seemed ecstatic to have a new play mate, something Eliana hadn't expected as far as she knew Seer barely managed to tolerate most people, the only people he actually liked were Eliana and two others, one being the one who had given Seer to Eliana in the first place and the other being Eliana's brother. David, to Eliana's surprise, had seemed to bond with the dog and had a soft smile on his face. Eliana watched happily as he ruffled Seer's fur and whispered something in his ear before chucking the ball across the room.

"Hey you two don't scare my costumers," Eliana said with empty anger. David glanced up at her and grinned, wrapping his arm around her black wolf-like dog. Seer seemed to be smiling as well as he held the tennis ball in his mouth. Marko, Paul, and Dwayne volunteered to hang the posters and took off a few minutes later, leaving Eliana with David.

He stood and moved to her side, leaning against the wall besides her. Seer sat at her feet and they simply stood there, content to merely be in each other's presence. There was nothing to say, no cheesy lines or attempts at conversation. There was nothing to do, no forced displays of affection or advances. The only thing that happened was that Eliana, ever so gently, leaned her head against David's shoulder, the soft fabric of his jean jacket brushing her cheek softly. They stood like that, never saying a word, until his three brothers had returned hooting and hollering about something that had happened while they hung posters. Marko explained in great detail to Eliana all the places they had put posters and whose mailboxes they had put fliers in while Paul convinced her to hand over the key to the display box and commenced a victory dance that included running around the store, autographed short in hand.

In that moment, with her four boys around her, Eliana realized that she had nothing at all to complain about. Everything was perfect. If every night was exactly like this one Eliana could be content, she could be happy for once in her entire life. And then the bell on the door rang and in walked a police officer. Eliana knew his name; Lucy had pointed him out before. Officer Mark White. When he walked into the store he made an instant beeline toward Eliana but paused when he saw David, Marko, Paul, and Dwayne.

"What are you doing here?" He said darkly, seeming to forget where he was, "I thought you were told to stay off the boardwalk."

"I don't see the boardwalk anywhere, do you Paul?" Marko asked.

"Who wants to know Marko?" Paul asked.

"Officer White wants to know," Dwayne replied. Officer White grit his teeth, his face flushing red.

"Officer Leno specifically told you to-"

"I don't see Officer Leno around anywhere," Marko replied with snicker.

"Yeah, haven't seen him a while actually, have you seen him Officer White?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, if you see him, tell we miss him something awful," Dwayne added.

"That's enough, now you get off the Boardwalk before I escort you off," Officer White growled. Marko got in his face about to retort when Eliana cut in.

"First, this is my store, on my property and you do not have the authority to order them off," Eliana began.

"I understand that but-"

"Actually I don't think you do. Because the boardwalk is not state owned its private and commercially owned meaning you can only interfere when either; an owner asks you to or an illegal action is being committed. Since neither of those is happening you are completely overstepping your boundaries." Office White flushed with embarrassment and began to stutter out apologizes to Eliana.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you in anyway Mrs. I just I came here to ask you a few questions," Officer White murmured, his voice falling short under Eliana's harsh glare.

"Questions? What questions?" Eliana asked with a frown.

"I was wandering when the last time you saw Lucy Cole was."

"Lucy? A two days ago, why?" Eliana's frown grew deeper and confusion marred her brow and she walked toward Officer White and away from David.

"Oh, well, you see her parents reported her in missing this morning and she's a friend of the family so I volunteered to look into it," Officer White replied.

"Oh my god," Eliana said in a whisper and stumbled slightly. She felt a strong arm catch her and looked up at David as he pulled her toward an open chair forcing her to sit. "I saw her two nights ago, she was at the boardwalk with Cory and her friends." Officer White nodded and scribbled onto a pad he had brought in with him.

"Do you know specifically what friends?" Officer White asked. As Eliana rambled off names she felt something shaking against her legs and looked down to see it was her own hands, shaking uncontrollably. She told herself to calm down but she felt the paranoia set in. As Officer White continued to ask her questions she could only lean against David and try not to make Lucy's disappearance into something more than it was. She was probably just at a friend's house. Then again maybe she wasn't.

**Yeah update. Thoughts appreciated as always. Sorry it took so long but I had a lot to do this week. Just FYI things are gonna start to get exciting in the next few chapters, yeahhhhhhhhhhh. anyway tell me what you think i kind of rushed to get this chapter out so sorry for any spelling/grammar issues. **


	7. Chapter 7

"Well thank you for all your assistance Mrs. Smith" Officer White said. David glanced at Eliana when she didn't respond. She was sitting there silently, as she had been the whole time Officer White interviewed her. She was looking at her hands, twisting and untwisting her fingers while her eyes stared straight at the opposite wall. She was chewing nervously on her lower lip. David reached gently out to tap her shoulder and was surprised how much Eliana jumped. She glanced quickly at him, blinking as though David had just interrupted her while deep in thought. He could hear her heart speed up slightly. But when she realized it was only David, he heard Eliana's heart beat begin to slow. He wondered if his presence was soothing. Officer White cleared his throat and David watched Eliana's attention shift to Officer White, who was still waiting for her response.

"Of course Officer White if I remember anything else I'll give you a call" she said robotically, without any real feeling behind it as her gaze shifted back out into space. David could not remember ever having been happier than when Officer White left. He knelt quickly in front of Eliana and rested his hands on either side of the chair she sat on. David had every intention of offering Eliana some kind of comfort, verbal, physical, emotional, anything. He was not one practiced in consolation but even as pointless his words would be, they could help couldn't they?

Who was he kidding; of course he wouldn't be able to comfort her. Because if she was upset about Lucy's disappearance, he doubted he would be able to form the words needed to comfort, they would feel fake, like he was lying. David expected to see some kind of sadness in Eliana's eyes but when she looked up he saw something different. It only lasted for a moment because Eliana seemed to realize he was watching she wiped all the emotions out of her eyes. For a moment though, there had been fear. Raw fear.

"Well I guess that is the kind of thing that can put a bit of a damper a person's day," Eliana said with a hollow smile, "do you still want to hang out?" David was confused, to put it simply. He couldn't understand Eliana. The fear in her eyes, it wasn't the kind that resulted from worrying about someone you cared about, that fear in her eyes was indicative of something else. It hadn't been fear of the unknown, of whether Lucy was dead or alive. No, David recognized the fear in Eliana's eyes. It was the fear he saw nearly every night in his prey's eyes. It was the fear of the known, fear of what you couldn't control. Eliana wasn't afraid Lucy was dead; it was more like she was afraid of who might have killed her.

"You sure that's a good idea Eli?" Paul asked. Eliana blinked and looked at them as though she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Am I supposed to sit in my room and waste away the day crying about Lucy when it's not going to do any good?" Eliana asked, "I want to go out" Her insistent tone was almost frantic and she seemed like any argument would tear her apart.

"Ok Eliana, we'll go out," David said. Something in her tone struck something deep inside him. Confusion mixed with doubt and worry welled up around him. This bipolar attitude wasn't something he was used to. In every situation David had ever been in with Eliana, she had never acted like this. Even when she got angry and then quickly forgave him, it was never anything like this. Even in those instants, she was always in control. Of all the people David new, Eliana was the only one he had never seen without control. But in a single hour, after a single conversation it was as if all her control had melted into nothingness. Now she looked about almost frantically and David could see she was trying to keep it together. Was she afraid? Of what? Some nameless killer she didn't even know existed? No she couldn't know. She couldn't possibly have any idea whether Lucy was alive or dead, let alone who killed her. But if she didn't know, what was that flash of fear David saw? He felt an overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and shelter her, whisper sweet nothings into her ear until all traces of tear and worry were completely gone from her face. But how could he do that knowing what he knew. Instead he did the only thing he could do.

He stood and held his hand out to Eliana. She took it and he led her out the store. Glancing back he saw the looks his brothers gave him. He dared them with his gaze to say a word to Eliana. About half way through the night Marko had taken his place by her side, chatting with her enthusiastically about this or that as they drifted through the boardwalk. So David watched from afar, looking for any sign of distress from Eliana. So far she didn't seem like she was going to spontaneously break down as David had noticed humans tend to do when bottling up emotions, as he had previously suspected she might. He did notice something else though. Although Eliana did not seem outwardly upset, she did seem more alert. Normally her attention was completely focused on whoever she was talking to at the time but tonight she was distracted. She kept glancing around them, into darkened corners as though she was expected to see someone there. A group of children would rush past and Eliana would jump slightly. It got to the point where she said goodnight, despite the protests of David's brothers, and ventured back to her store. David followed.

In any other circumstance Eliana's behavior would single to David a job well done. After all, David only saw those kinds of nervous ticks in people he was hunting, just before the perfect moment arrived to kill them. Between contentedness and hysteria there was a state of paranoia when hunting was ideal. But his wasn't one of David's hunts. He wasn't trying to evoke this jumpiness from Eliana. No, someone else or something else was causing it. The possessive rage boiling beneath his skin could have been David's reaction to the possibility of someone stealing his kill. It could have easily been that. But it wasn't. Instead David wanted to tear the throat out of whatever was plaguing Eliana's mind that night, no matter what or who it was. He'd go through a thousand people to do it, anything to have her return to her ordinary carefree self.

He hung back, out of sight. It wasn't the first time he had followed Eliana. He normally followed her home just to make sure no one tried to touch his mark. But tonight he didn't stop at the door. Instead, David slipped into the alley behind the store. A couple was pressed up against the wall. David raised an eyebrow and the girl let out a small shriek when she saw him.

"H-Hey man, what's the deal?" the guy asked as she righted his clothing. David gave him a short glare and the guy took off, girl in tow. As soon as they were out of sight David set his sight on the upper most window, from past visits he knew it lead to the kitchen and thus was an opportune entry point. With a single push upward he floated up until he was level with the window pane. Glancing in, he caught the tail end of Eliana as she slipped into her bedroom and closed the door.

Reaching out, his fingers brushed the glass and the inside lock clicked open. Ever so gently he lifted the window and stepped inside. From the window David could hear the shower running in the bathroom. He carefully placed his footsteps across the ground and sat down in the living room, waiting. David had never been in her apartment alone, it was somewhat of a different experience. Normally his brothers were running around causing mischief, distracting him. But now he was alone to take in Eliana's apartment in its entirety. He was surprised by how bare it was, devoid of attachment and emotion. Dwayne had mentioned it the first time they had stepped foot in the apartment, Eliana had brushed it off, claiming she hadn't had a chance to unpack. But there weren't any boxes, not anywhere in the whole place. There were no pictures, mementos, or personal objects at all, not even a book. The only things that even breathed of Eliana's personality, her vitality, her liveliness, were the drawings strewn haphazardly across a small coffee table.

David chuckled softly as he reached out and picked a few up. Turning them over in his hands he marveled at Eliana's ability to capture personality, even in the everyday tourist. When he finally heard Eliana settle down into bed David moved ever so gently off the couch toward the bedroom. He had almost reached the door when he heard soft padded footsteps. A soft nipping at his calves made David turn, there sat Seer Eliana's gorgeous black wolf-like dog. He smiled and crouched down.

"Hey there pup," he said softly as he scratched the dog behind the ears. When he was human David distinctly remembered having had a dog like Seer, big and intimidating. But that had been years and years ago and memories from those times had begun to fade, replaced by the endless repetitive nights. David sometimes wondered when even his mother's face would disappear entirely. He had missed dogs, David could admit that, although they were one of the few if not only thing David missed about being human. But dogs were never really an option for vampires, for some reason they could sense the evil better than any other creature alive and thus steered clear of creatures of the night. Only the most powerful vampires knew how to create hell hounds and Max had yet to share that secret with David. Seer, however, was different. He tolerated the presence of his brothers, but also seemed to really like David. David had considered keeping the dog when he finally ended Eliana, if Seer didn't sense his betrayal of course. Now, however, that idea left a bitter taste in his throat. Seer nuzzled David's arm as he stroked his fur. "I'm going to go check on our girl, I'll play with you later" David promised as he stood and opened the bedroom door.

Eliana was curled up in a ball in her bed. The covers were pulled all around her, obscuring most of her face from view like some sort of shield. David sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his gloves off. His was quiet as death as he traced fingers along the outline of Eliana's body. The way she was sleeping reminded David of an almost defensive position as if she was subconsciously trying to fend off some danger.

"What has you so bent out of shape Eli, hm," David murmured softly. Eliana mumbled something about not calling her Eli in her sleep and stretched softly. David smiled and brushed a bit of hair out of her face. Even when she was asleep Eliana could hold a stubborn streak unlike any human David had ever met. Eliana reached her arm out from under the covers as she rolled onto her back. David's fingers traced up her bare arm and he smiled as goose bumps appeared across her skin. But then he reached her wrist. There the skin grew ragged. A scar rested there, reflecting in the soft light bleeding in through the curtains. David had never seen this scar. If he didn't know better he'd say it was a misshapen cross. One branch ran up her vein, it was short, only the size of his thumb. The second ran parallel to her wrist from one edge of her hand to the other. David glanced over and saw Eliana's watch sitting on the night stand. No wonder he had never seen this scar before, she hid it.

A darkness bubbled up inside David, he couldn't believe this wound had been self-inflicted. It was to abnormal of a shape to be an accident. That meant the only other option was that someone else had inflicted it on her. Neither made the David feel any better. In her sleep Eliana pulled her arm back toward her body and subconsciously began to rub her wrist. David frowned as he ran his fingers along her brow again.

There was a whine and Seer entered the room, brushing up against the nightstand. David hushed the dog quickly. "You're going to wake her up" he hissed. But Seer kept bumping the night stand, over and over. David grabbed Seer's collar and dragged him out of the room despite his protests. When he had shut him out David moved back toward the bed determine to discern the origin of that scar, but he was distracted by a small glint just outside his field of vision.

David frowned and reached into the nightstand drawer that Seer had knocked open. His hand closed around an awkward, heavy object and as he pulled it out his stomach dropped. He was holding a heavy revolver in his hand. David sat back on the floor turning the gun over in his hand. Something was beginning to feel more and more wrong about all of this. Early that night David had been confident in his understanding of how Eliana thought and acted. Sure, sometimes she did something David didn't expect but this was an entirely new level. Secret scars and hidden weapons? David didn't like not knowing what was going on. He glanced up when Eliana began mumbling in her sleep again. Carefully he stood and moved closer to the bed.

"Vnnct," she mumbled and David careful slid the revolver back in the drawer and moved closer till his ear was a hair away from her lips. "Vincent" David jerked back. Vincent, V, the person from the package. "Vincent don't go…" Eliana mumbled, "Please….I…" David repressed a growl and stood, his fists clenched at his sides. He swept quickly out of the room, ignoring Seer's whines on his way out. With an easy sweep of his leg he leapt out of the window. Anger was pulsing through his veins. Who the hell was Vincent.


	8. Chapter 8

Eliana was running as fast as she could down a dark hallway. The walls were ancient and cracked. The darkness seemed to bleed inward like a plague. A figure was retreating into the distance, growing farther and farther away with every passing second, pulling all the light with him, leaving everything behind to be swallowed by the black. The blinding light before him left only his silhouette visible, slender and lean. Eliana tried to push herself faster and faster as she called out after him but the walls seemed to stretch on forever. Eliana felt as if she would never reach him. Desperation fueled her.

"Vincent!" her screams turned into barely audible whispers as they echoed down the hall and yet she kept calling. Eliana needed to reach him, to tell him something. Something she couldn't remember now. She needed to remember, to ask him. But he kept floating forward, far beyond reach. Then he reached a door, the source of the light. As he stepped over the threshold and into the beyond room, the figure turned and reached out. Eliana was almost there if she reached out she could touch him but as she crossed over the doorway, the door slammed shut behind her. The light grew brighter and brighter and the figure before her disappeared as it blinded her. Eliana screamed his name over and over as she spun in circles but the blinding room of light stretched in every direction, infinitely. Then Eliana felt strong arms wrap around her strong and hard muscles pressed into her back. A familiar smell passed under her nose, like earth and fire and something more sinister.

"Who's Vincent Eli?" murmured a voice in her ear.

"Don't call me Eli," Eliana replied and she leaned back into that strong frame. Cold hands snaked up under her shirt and wrapped around her hips.

"Don't avoid the question," he murmured in response. There was hint of annoyance in his tone along with something else, that make butterflies erupt in Eliana's stomach. She could feel his breath against her ear, rushing down her neck.

"I'm not"

"Liar" His grip tightened and Eliana's eyes fluttered shut, her knees went weak. She felt his lips move down her throat nipping the skin gently. A shiver rushed up Eliana's spine. "Tell me Eli"

"It's not Eli-," Eliana gasped as she felt something long and sharp brush across her neck. Eliana's eyes shot open and she repressed a yelp. All a around her was red, red, red. Falling from the sky like rain and sliding across the floor. The blinding light was gone and now there was only red, stretching in every direction like an endless sea.

"Eli?" She looked down and whimpered. The arms wrapped around her waist were covered as well, the red liquid had stained her shirt. It was so red. "Eli?" Red like blood.

Eliana sat up with a gasp and thrashed her covers out from around her. Her eyes flashed across the room, her bed, her clothes, expecting to see the overwhelming red. But there was nothing. Her walls were still an off white, her sheets were still cream, her shirt was still grey. Eliana slowly leaned back, her heart hammering in her chest. She had been chasing Vincent, she knew that much. But the other man, that hadn't been Vincent. No, Eliana knew that voice, but why was she dreaming about him. She sucked in a shaky breath and glanced over at the clock. Seven in the afternoon. She had lain down for one nap and slept for three hours. It seemed like the only think Eliana felt recently was exhaustion. Lucy's disappearance had affected Eliana more than she had originally thought.

She slipped slowly out of bed and rubbed at a small kink in her neck. Then she walked to each window in her apartment and checked the locks, when she reached the door to check the deadbolt she froze. Eliana hadn't went through this routine in over six months, in Santa Carla and all the places before she had never felt the need to. Never felt threatened enough to habitually check the locks but there she was, checking them.

This was stupid; people disappeared in Santa Carla all the time. It was one of the reasons Eliana had chosen this place to begin with, so that in case she needed to disappear it wouldn't come as a shock. It was only a coincidence; whatever had happened to Lucy could have happened to anyone. Eliana was distracted from her thoughts when Seer began to bark. She smiled and walked into the kitchen where he was scratching at the pantry door.

"Hungry sweetie?" she asked and Seer barked in approval. After Eliana had thrown out some food for Seer she dug through the pantry for some sandwich making supplies. She sighed as she sliced some tomato. Eliana kept seeing the red room. Every time she glanced into a corner or crevice; she saw it, dripping red. Eliana shook her head, she was just tired. Just needed some more sleep. She flicked through some bills as she ate, before returning to her room. Tonight was the night of the concert the boys had helped her promote. David had said he would come pick her up at eight thirty. So she had an hour and get dressed. As she pulled clothes out of her dresser, Eliana wondered whether David would bring his bike. Eliana had seen his bike a couple of times before but she had never ridden on it. Something about the idea of riding with David made her stomach twist and her toes curl.

Eventually Eliana decided on a pair of low rise loss cotton pants and a lose pale pink crop top. Looking at herself in the mirror, Eliana pulled her curls into a loose braid of one shoulder. The shirt fell slightly off one shoulder, revealing part of her black bra and the single black tattoo that rested where Eliana's and shoulders and neck met. It was of an intricate black cross. Eliana hummed, she remembered going to get it.

"_Eli, come on. You really don't want a tattoo do you?"_

"_I'm eighteen midget I have to celebrate someway"_

"_You don't believe in god"_

"_Exactly"_

I will not compare this life to my old one. Eliana thought that to herself a few times as she grabbed her member's only jacket out of the closet and threw it on. She took one last look around, walking through each room until she reached the bedroom. Content that no one was hiding in the corners she turned to leave until she noticed something. There was something wedged between the bed and nightstand, like it had fallen there. Eliana frowned and pulled the object out. It was a pair of black leather gloves. Eliana's brow creased as she ran her fingers of the soft leather. They looked so familiar.

Eliana sighed and stuffed them in her pocket; she'd figure it out later. Eliana whistled as she walked down the stairs and Seer scampered down after her. She found Ian at the door, ready to work his shift. She let him in, passing over a set of keys before quickly running over the various tasks she needed him to do for the night. Ian must have sensed Eliana was flustered because he reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"No worries," he said, "I have it covered, go have fun at the concert" Eliana expressed her many thanks and walked outside. Half an hour later she was still sitting on the railing just outside her shop. That ass, he would choose tonight be ditch her. Eliana growled softly to herself as she gave up and began walking. Nine, it was nine o'clock. She was supposed to be at the concert in fifteen minutes to present the bands. She had fifteen minutes to walk a distance that should take her twenty-five. Damn David and his idiocy, he had to pick tonight. She hissed angrily and she pulled her jacket on tighter, it was cooler tonight than she had expected.

Eliana sighed and began to cut through alleys, hoping to reach the concert faster. The alleys were dark and dank and stank of death and sickness. Piles of garbage and trash littered the corners and walls. Eliana covered her nose. It wasn't like she hadn't been in places like this before; she had, just not in a while. There was a darkness in Santa Carla, it reminded Eliana of her dream. It seeped in from the cracks and crevices, sneaking up on you until you were surrounded. Eliana shivered slightly though she didn't know if it was from the cold or from the feeling of dread that had sprung up in her gut.

There was a light ahead, as the alleyway Eliana was cutting through came to an end and opened back up to the boardwalk, she walked quickly toward it. Then she felt a presence to her left.

"Hey there looks like we found a little mouse," said the guy leaning against the wall.

"She's pretty cute for a mouse" said another who walked up from behind. Eliana spun and narrowed her eyes as she backed up toward the boardwalk.

"Maybe she's lost" said another voice from the side that made Eliana jump. She knew these creeps; they were part of that stupid group of Surf Nazis.

"I'm not lost" Eliana nearly growled at them. She continued to back up, muscles tensing to run. Confronting these guys in broad daylight in front of other people was one thing. The dark back alleys were another. In normal circumstances Eliana could take someone who bothered but there were three of them. Eliana smacked hard into a body behind her, four actually.

"I know this mouse," Blake Shelton said from where he stood behind Eliana. She repressed a flinch when he reached and put his hands on her shoulders. "This is David's little mouse, boys"

"Hey, you're right. She looks different when she scared," One replied.

"I think she's cuter like that" Another said. Eliana gritted her teeth and tried to pull away. Blake only shifted his grip, one arm around her waist and the other gripping her right arm tightly. Nowhere to go now.

"Now now Eli, don't try and run away. We just wanna have some fun," Blake breathed, his breath stank of cigarette smoke and alcohol. "After all, I bet we'd be more fun than David and his brothers" Eliana took and shaky breath. Four guys, probably twice her size. She couldn't fight her way out, she'd have to try something else.

"Yeah, well you know the only reason I'm here is because those asses ditched me" Eliana grumbled, her chin held high.

"Aw, I guess David didn't care too much if he left you to us" One boy sneered. Eliana forced herself to soften in Blake's grip. Blake seemed to take this as a sign she was becoming more compliant. His grip on Eliana's waist loosened, and Eliana leaned back into him to encourage him.

"You know sweetheart, everyone thinks David and his little freak show are so impressive. But there's something twisted about them. Even more twisted than us" Blake told her. Eliana nodded.

"I know, I've just figured that out" Eliana said as she turned in Blake's arms, "I mean I kind of dig that twisted personality you know?" she stood on her tiptoes, growing closer to Blake. "But I mean there's a big difference between a sexy bad boy and a sociopath" Blake grinned and slide his hands to her hips.

"You don't say darling" He said with a grin. Eliana took the opportunity and lunged to the side, grabbing a piece of stray wood leaning against the wall and slugged Blake in the head with it. He let out a cry and grabbed his head as Eliana dashed toward the boardwalk. She had almost reached the boardwalk when arms grabbed her from behind and she was thrown against the wall. One of Blake's friends dragged Eliana, thrashing, back into the alley, his hand clamped over her mouth so no one could hear her screams. Eliana continued to struggle as two of the boys held her against a wall. Blake walked over, rubbing away a small stream of blood running down his face from where Eliana had hit him.

"If you keep fighting this is really gonna hurt" he hissed as he flicked a knife out of his pocket. Eliana froze, dread filling her. Then there was a rumbling and blinding light flooded the alley. The revving of engines was so loud it shook the ground. Eliana's eyes squeezed shut as the light grew incredibly bright and the rumbling reached deafening levels. She felt the boys being pulled off of her. Eliana turned to the side and saw one boy take off running. Marko stood, his lips pulled back in a snarl, with another boy pinned to the wall. Dwayne had just thrown the third into a pile of trash. Paul was still revving the engine of his bike, watching the boy running away down the alley as if he wanted to chase after him. Blake was trembling on the ground with a dark figure over him.

"And what makes you think you get to touch my mouse?" David asked in a deadly tone. His eyes were cold, his fists clenched. Eliana watched as he crouched, closer and closer he moved toward Blake. He never hesitated. They were only an inch apart when he asked again, "What makes you think you get to touch my mouse?" Blake whimpered. David moved, Eliana wasn't sure what he was going to do, for a moment she thought he was going to hit him. His head snapped up and David looked Eliana with those ice blue eyes. The lights of the bikes cast shark, harsh shadows across his face.

"You're lucky the mouse is here Blake" he said, still gazing straight into Eliana's eyes. Then he stood with a swift resolution and moved back toward his bike. Swinging his leg over his sat down and looked back at Eliana again. "Come on mouse." He held his hand out to her. Eliana paused for a moment to just look at David. There was a fury there, boiling beneath the surface. Eliana shivered in the night air and then she slowly moved to take his hand. David gently pulled her toward the bike; his touch was light as a feather so different from when Blake had grabbed her. When Eliana took a seat behind him, David pulled her arm around his waist. Eliana tightened her grip, clinging to his strong frame as the reality of the whole situation settled over her. She could have died there in that very moment and out of no where David had appear. David seemed to understand this as well. When he turned his head and their eyes met his burned with a protective passion. But Eliana was vaguely afraid he would disappear just a quickly as he had appeared. "Hold on mouse" he said and just like that Marko and Dwayne returned to their bikes looks of hatred marring their usually pleasant expressions. There was a final revving of engines and David's bike leapt forward. Eliana buried her face into his back, inhaling the strong smell of earth, fire, and something more sinister.


End file.
